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real estate: buying, selling, renting, etc.

Ready to find your first home, or in the market for an upgrade? You’re on the right track -- we’ve got plenty of real estate advice for how to handle the house hunt, manage your mortgage, and how to tackle new home to-do’s. Our easy-to-use tools and helpful tips will help ease your way into a new place. Looking for a place to live forever, or an opportunity for real estate investing? Search thousands of listings near you with our home finder tool. Once you spot a few you like, browse our local pages to find a real estate agent who can help make your home-owning dreams a reality. Want even more help than that? Don’t worry, we’ve got all the basics of buying your first home. Use our mortgage calculator to find out how much house you can really afford. We can help you sort out the pros and cons of condos and co-ops versus houses. Learn what all those real estate terms really mean, and how to find the best interest rate on your mortgage. There’s advice and tips for every step of the way, from hitting open houses to making an offer. You can also find tips on selling your home and on real estate investing. And when you need a pick-me-up or a space to vent, you can chat with other Nesties and share real estate advice, tales from the house hunt, and more. From your first phone calls to putting up the sold sign, we’re here for you!

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Selling a Home on Craigslist: Dos and Don’ts

With all the real estate sites out there, why list your home on Craigslist? Simple: You're casting a wider net to an audience that might not otherwise have seen your listing, and the more eyes you get on your place, the greater the odds that it will sell. The key is to stand out from the herd of Craigslist listings in every city with ALLCAPS MISSPELLDED SUPERHYPER! headlines. Follow these tips on getting the most out of this potentially powerful sales weapon:

Do: Emphasize your own role. With professional agents behind many Craigslist real estate ads, an owner selling alone attracts attention on a site that still relies on its grassroots appeal. So make sure to mention that it’s ‘for sale by owner’ if it is. Toying with the idea? Get our tips on how to sell a home without a realtor.

Do: Keep your fonts and design clean and simple -- don't distract people with fancy ad formatting. The bottom line is, buyers are interested in property information, not the scrollwork around your home photos (in fact, they may get turned off by it).

Don’t: Never use broker speak. Avoid words and phrases like "bijou," "location location location," "amenities," and made-up neighborhood names. Why? You'll come off as too slick, which makes potential listing viewers feel like they're not getting a deal. And hello, deals are the reason people come to Craigslist in the first place.

Do: Make sure your house looks its best. You want your listing to be informative, with no-BS, and include a bunch of eye-catching photos. Consider hiring a professional photographer to take snaps of your home during the day (it will photograph better than at night). It may sound like a splurge, but quality pics are the most important part of your listing and will totally pay off.